I have a Tobias/Gibson Killer B 5 string with the serial 10038. Does anyone know when and where this was made? I couldnt figure this out from.
Hey guys!
Up for sale this rare 1986 (Pre-Gibson) Tobias Classic 5 Fretless.
This is a beautiful 1986 Tobias Classic 5 string, made by Mike Tobias and his original crew in the pre-Gibson days. The serial number is in the 400's.The zebrawood top over the alder body is visually striking and sonically fantastic. The bass is very resonant, almost like a good old Jazz bass (listen to the audio sample).
The bass is in near-mint condition and it really sings as a fretless, but it can be easily converted back to a fretted bass by any competent repair person.
The only significant ding I can find is a small dent in the clear coat on the back of the bass. It's (barely) visible in the pic above, at about the 10 o'clock position relative to the control cavity cover screw.
The bass has lived it's life in a smoke-free environment and has rarely been gigged. Come with the original Tobias hard shell case.
The bass will be shipped right to your door via EMS Express international service.
Feel free to ask any questions and make your offers.
Up for sale this rare 1986 (Pre-Gibson) Tobias Classic 5 Fretless.
This is a beautiful 1986 Tobias Classic 5 string, made by Mike Tobias and his original crew in the pre-Gibson days. The serial number is in the 400's.The zebrawood top over the alder body is visually striking and sonically fantastic. The bass is very resonant, almost like a good old Jazz bass (listen to the audio sample).
The bass is in near-mint condition and it really sings as a fretless, but it can be easily converted back to a fretted bass by any competent repair person.
The only significant ding I can find is a small dent in the clear coat on the back of the bass. It's (barely) visible in the pic above, at about the 10 o'clock position relative to the control cavity cover screw.
The bass has lived it's life in a smoke-free environment and has rarely been gigged. Come with the original Tobias hard shell case.
The bass will be shipped right to your door via EMS Express international service.
Feel free to ask any questions and make your offers.
Product Specs
Condition | Mint items are in essentially new original condition but have been opened or played.learn more |
Brand | Tobias |
Model | Classic 5 Fretless |
Categories | 5-String or More |
Year | 1986 |
Made In | United States |
Private (1977–90) Brand (1990–present) | |
Industry | Musical instruments |
---|---|
Fate | Company acquired by Gibson in 1990, becoming a brand |
Founded | 1977; 43 years ago |
Founder | Michael Tobias |
Headquarters | Orlando, Florida, United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Products | Bass guitars |
Parent | Epiphone |
Tobias is a brand of bass guitars originally made by luthierMichael Tobias starting in the 1970s, and later bought out by Gibson. Nowadays, Tobias bass guitars are sold under the Epiphone division.[1]
History[edit]
Tobias Guitars was established in Orlando, Florida in April 1977. The vast majority of Tobias instruments are of neck-through construction, a style of neck-body assembly where the neck of the instrument is a single piece of wood that extends through the body and had the sides of the bass glued to it rather than being bolted on. However, once purchased by Gibson in 1990, a few bolt-on models were produced such as the Killer-B[2] (with the 'B' in the name standing for 'bolt-on') as well as the Growler[3] Basses.
Tobias basses also were among the first to feature an asymmetrical neck, a design where the neck is thinner on the lower side than the upper.[4] The first serial number was 0178, instead of the usual 0001, as a reference to the month the first bass was completed, January 1978.[5]
In 1990, Gibson Guitar Corporation purchased Tobias and moved production to Nashville. The first Tobias bass under Gibson ownership bore the serial number 1094. Michael Tobias left the company in 1992 to found Michael Tobias Design which produces a line of hand-made basses similar in spirit to the older Tobias basses. Basses below the serial number 2044 were built in the California factory headed-up by Michael Tobias; serial numbers after that were produced by Gibson with a transition period in which Tobias worked with Gibson and continued to produce basses.[6]
Products[edit]
- Growler 4/5
- Renegade 4
- Renegade 5
- Toby Standard
- Toby Deluxe IV
- Toby Deluxe V
- Toby Pro 4
- Toby Pro 5
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Tobias bass guitars on Epiphone website, retrieved 30 Oct 2019
- ^'Tobias Killer B Bass'. Gibson.com. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
- ^'Tobias Growler Bass'. Gibson.com. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
- ^'Tobias Basses - The Classics'. Gibson.com. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
- ^'MTD History'. Mtdbass.com. Archived from the original on 2010-07-23. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
- ^'MTD History'. Mtdbass.com. Archived from the original on 2010-07-23. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tobias bass guitars. |
- Tobias bass guitars on Epiphone website
- Michael Tobias Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2005)
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